Refrigerator

Abstract

A refrigerator with a storage chamber and a door to open and close the storage chamber, the refrigerator having: an ice making chamber, which is provided in the storage chamber; an ice making device, which is provided in the ice making chamber to make ice; an ice storage part, which stores the ice transferred from the ice making device; and a dispenser unit, which is provided in the storage chamber to dispense the ice stored in the ice storage part.

1 . A refrigerator, including a storage chamber and a door to open and close the storage chamber, the refrigerator comprising:
 an ice making chamber, which is provided in the storage chamber;   an ice making device, which is provided in the ice making chamber to make ice;   an ice storage part, which stores the ice transferred from the ice making device; and   a dispenser unit, which is provided in the storage chamber to dispense the ice stored in the ice storage part.   
   
   
       2 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein:
 the ice storage part has:
 an ice discharge hole as an entrance to an ice discharge passage to discharge the ice, and 
 an ice feeding device to feed the ice to the ice discharge hole; and 
   the ice feeding device is slantedly disposed upward to the ice discharge hole.   
   
   
       3 . The refrigerator according to  claim 2 , wherein:
 the dispenser unit is disposed below the ice discharge passage, and has
 a pushing part, which receives a force exerted by a user, and 
 a shutter, which interlocks with the pushing part to open and close the ice discharge passage. 
   
   
   
       4 . The refrigerator according to  claim 3 , wherein the dispenser unit further includes an elastic member providing a restoring force to the dispenser unit to bias the shutter to close the ice discharge passage. 
   
   
       5 . The refrigerator according to  claim 3 , wherein the dispenser unit further includes a gear assembly disposed between the pushing part and the shutter such that when the pushing part receives the force exerted by the user, a rotational angle of the shutter induced by interaction among the pushing part, the gear assembly, and the shutter is larger than a rotational angle of the pushing part. 
   
   
       6 . The refrigerator according to  claim 3 , wherein when the shutter opens the ice discharge hole, the ice feeding device is operated. 
   
   
       7 . The refrigerator according to  claim 2 , further comprising:
 an ice crushing device, which is disposed at one side of the ice feeding device to crush the ice.   
   
   
       8 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the storage chamber is partitioned into a cooling chamber and a freezing chamber, and the ice making chamber is provided in the cooling chamber. 
   
   
       9 . The refrigerator according to  claim 8 , wherein the cooling chamber is provided over the freezing chamber. 
   
   
       10 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein a plurality of guards are installed to a rear surface of the door with predetermined gaps therebetween to form a corresponding plurality of storage spaces at the rear surface of the door. 
   
   
       11 . The refrigerator according to  claim 1 , wherein the door is provided with an auxiliary door in front of the dispenser unit, through which a user selectively accesses the dispenser unit. 
   
   
       12 . A refrigerator, including a main body having a cooling chamber, a freezing chamber, and doors respectively opening and closing the cooling chamber and the freezing chamber, the refrigerator comprising:
 an ice making chamber, which is provided in the cooling chamber and partitioned from a remaining portion thereof by an insulation wall;   an ice storage part, which is provided in the ice making chamber; and   a dispenser unit, which is provided in the cooling chamber to dispense ice stored in the ice storage part out of the ice making chamber.   
   
   
       13 . The refrigerator according to  claim 12 , wherein:
 the ice making chamber comprises an ice making device that makes the ice;   the ice storage part has an ice discharge hole as an entrance to an ice discharge passage to discharge the ice; and   the ice making chamber further comprises an ice feeding device that feeds the ice to the ice discharge hole.   
   
   
       14 . The refrigerator according to  claim 12 , wherein the dispenser unit is provided at the insulation wall. 
   
   
       15 . The refrigerator according to  claim 13 , wherein the dispenser unit comprises:
 a pushing part, which receives a force exerted by a user; and   a shutter, which interlocks with the pushing part to open and close the ice discharge passage.   
   
   
       16 . The refrigerator according to  claim 15 , further comprising:
 a control unit, which controls the ice feeding device to operate when the shutter opens the ice discharge hole.   
   
   
       17 . The refrigerator according to  claim 13 , wherein the ice making chamber further comprises an ice crushing device, which is disposed at one side of the ice feeding device to crush the ice. 
   
   
       18 . The refrigerator according to  claim 13 , wherein the ice storage part includes a cover, which shields a front portion of the ice making chamber. 
   
   
       19 . A refrigerator, including a cooling chamber, a freezing chamber, doors respectively opening and closing the cooling chamber and the freezing chamber, the refrigerator comprising:
 an ice making chamber provided within the cooling chamber;   an ice making device provided within the ice making chamber to make ice;   an ice storage part provided within the ice making chamber and storing ice transferred from the ice making device; and   a dispenser unit provided within the storage chamber and having an ice discharge passage through which to dispense the ice stored in the ice storage part.   
   
   
       20 . The refrigerator according to  claim 19 , wherein the door opening and closing the cooling chamber comprises an auxiliary door disposed in correspondence with the dispenser unit, such that a user selectively accesses the dispenser unit through the auxiliary door. 
   
   
       21 . The refrigerator according to  claim 19 , wherein the dispenser unit comprises:
 a pushing part receiving a force exerted by a user;   a shutter connected with the pushing part to open and close the ice discharge passage; and   an elastic member biasing the shutter to close the ice discharge passage.   
   
   
       22 . The refrigerator according to  claim 21 , wherein:
 the dispenser unit further comprises
 a first pivot shaft, to which the pushing part is connected and about which the pushing part rotates, 
 a second pivot shaft, to which the shutter is connected and about which the shutter rotates, 
 a gear assembly comprising
 a first gear connected to the first pivot shaft, 
 a second gear connected to the second pivot shaft, and 
 a third gear transmitting rotation between the first and second gears; 
 
   the elastic member is connected at a first end thereof to an insulation wall of the ice making chamber, is connected at a second end thereof to the first gear, and via the gear assembly, biases the shutter to close the ice discharge passage; and   a relationship of a size and number of teeth of the first and second gears is such that when the pushing part receives the force exerted by the user, a rotational angle of the shutter induced by interaction among the pushing part, the gear assembly, and the shutter is larger than a rotational angle of the pushing part.   
   
   
       23 . The refrigerator according to  claim 19 , further comprising:
 an evaporator corresponding to the freezing chamber;   a circulation fan blowing cool air from the evaporator into the freezing chamber;   a cool air supply passage; and   a blower fan blowing cool air from the evaporator into the ice making chamber via the cool air supply passage.   
   
   
       24 . The refrigerator according to  claim 19 , further comprising:
 an evaporator corresponding to the freezing chamber;   a circulation fan blowing cool air from the evaporator into both the freezing chamber and the ice making chamber.